“Give people their flowers while they’re living” is an old, wise saying that holds a lot of weight and truth; this week, those “people” refer to teachers. May 8-12, 2023, is recognized as Teacher Appreciation Week. Since 1984, Teacher Appreciation Week has occurred during the first full week of May each year, with National Teacher Day occurring on the Tuesday of that week; it is a national holiday celebrated in the United States. During Teacher Appreciation Week, teachers are celebrated for the hard work and dedication they put in daily to educate their students. Most, if not all, teachers wear more than the “teacher” hat; they are counselors, mentors, fill-in parents, motivators, and so much more to their students.
Restaurants like McDonald’s, Chick-fil-A, and Starbucks are showing appreciation for teachers this week by providing them with free items or a percentage of whatever is purchased. Schools around SCCSD are in full swing of Teacher Appreciation Week by providing teachers with breakfast, lunch, delicacies, and other happies. Parents and students themselves are participating by giving teachers kind words, bags of teachers’ favorite goodies, and other small gestures as tokens of appreciation. Banks like Community Bank are even participating in the national holiday by doing a raffle in which 10 teachers could win a $50 gift card.
Even though five days are not merely enough time to show teachers the appreciation, the respect, and the love they truly deserve, it is a start. What teachers receive during Teacher Appreciation Week brings their heart joy and will always be remembered. Showing and telling teachers how they are appreciated for their selflessness, compassion, and dedication to students who eventually become like their own children is worth doing while the teachers can see and hear the appreciation for themselves; it is really no good when they are no longer here to witness it. Don’t just use Teacher Appreciation Week as the time to show appreciation; any time throughout the school year is welcome.
